The Cutting Edge: Home Technology Blog

We have had the Fire TV for a few weeks now, but the latest Apple TV only arrived on Tuesday. Both are remarkable leaps forward from their predecessors.

Until now, we have disliked using voice control for AV eqipment. Why the change of heart? Speed.... What used to be a clunky experience is becoming a natural experience because of the responsiveness and accuracy both of these devices bring to the table. Near instantaneous interpretation of natural English commands makes talking to your TV feel a bit more normal.

While we sincerely wish the ATV had 4K resolution capabilities, we are happy to overlook the shortcoming because of how fantastic the on-screen interface is. The inclusion of a legitimate App Store is going to prove the real value of this new device. Thousands of ideas are coming from creative App developers which means this already excellent device will get better with age.

The new Apple remote at first seems a design failure, but after a few minutes we became fluent in its use and understand why it has been designed the way that it has.

We are also very pleased with the Amazon Fire TV set top box. At $99 it is hands down the best "bang for your buck" in getting 4K content. Up until the Apple unit arrived, it was our favorite.

Peronally, I will use both. The price of the Amazon set top box justifies keeping it hooked up to my AV Receiver in addition to the Apple. I'll primarily be using the ATV, but for those times when we want to watch 4K movies/shows or consume other digital content bought & stored on Amazon I'll have the Fire TV to switch to.